Ever Ever After
by Showna
Summary: When Derek leaves Mer for the infamous scrub nurse, she turns to the one person who promised he wouldn't be there for her anymore.
1. Where We Gonna Go From Here?

**Chapter 1**

**Where We Gonna Go From Here**

**Author's Note: **I began writing this story before Grey's 4.11, but as you'll see, the end result is the same.

**Pairings:** Mer/Finn, Mer/Derek, Derek/Rose, possibly George/Lexie

**Main Characters:** Meredith, Finn, Christina, Lexie, Mark, George, Rose and, of course, Derek

------

Mark Sloan was in a bad mood. Generally, Mark existed with very little troubling his conscience. It was the positive side effect to absolutely zero personal attachment. Occasionally he could be persuaded to grab a drink with the other attendings, and of course, there was his healing friendship with Derek, possibly the one personal relationship he was determined to repair. If the man would just give his head a shake. Mark knew his affair with Addison had left his best friend seriously damaged, and he regretted that part of his life to the extreme.

Yet he had hoped Derek would be able to move on and be happy with the new love of his life, Mark's favourite slutty intern, now a resident, Meredith Grey. Mark thought Meredith would have been the cure to Derek's newfound baggage, but last night his hopes had been dashed. Derek had shown up at the hotel Mark was still living at, clutching a bottle of scotch and a story about commitment issues and scrub nurses.

The thought of the hotel distracted Mark back to his bad mood. Normally Derek wouldn't have found Mark alone at his hotel, but the new McSteamy strike had put a dampener on Mark's usually vast sexual appetite. It was definitely time to repair that particular aspect of his bad mood. Maybe it was time to look outside the hospital.

He glanced outside of the big bay windows as he made his way through Seattle Grace. The rain was coming down in large sleets. He hated Seattle. Maybe what it was really time for was to return to New York, and get his bike back out of the brownstone. That would involve contacting Addy though. His mood darkened and it was with a growl that he wrenched open the door to the supply cupboard.

Two bodies jumped back from their embrace and Mark got a glance of Derek's wavy black hair and deer-in-the-headlights' blue eyes. The other woman was hidden in the shadows, but it didn't stop Mark from smirking. "Good to see you two made up, Meredith," he smiled, grabbing the surgical pads he needed.

"Meredith?" asked the woman, and Mark's jaw dropped a little as a lithe brunette stepped into the light. A brunette that was definitely not Meredith stepped forward.

Mark shot a look at Derek, feeling a tinge of disappointment. If Derek was turning into an adulterous whore and nurses were protesting Mark's charms, he was facing a serious personal redemption. And that would be so boring.

"Derek?" said a rather strangled voice behind Mark. Meredith had arrived at the storage cupboard and was peering over Mark's shoulder with disbelieving eyes.

"Well, this is pleasantly awkward, isn't it?" Mark grinned, enjoying that for once he wasn't the one in trouble for his wandering eyes.

Derek straightened, adjusting his clothes, and faced Meredith coldly. "I…I warned you, Mer," he faltered. "I couldn't wait forever."

"Since when did a few weeks become forever?" Meredith hissed, stepping in past Mark. Mark could see the overwhelming betrayal in her eyes. His heart went out to his poor favourite dirty mistresses. Sex games stopped being fun when someone got hurt. Mark had learned that the hard way.

"Would you really ever have been ready?" Derek sighed heavily, looking sadly at the woman who had pulled him away from his wife.

"Excuse me," Rose spoke up. "But what the hell is going on?"

"Don't worry," Meredith snarled at her. Mark admired her composure, but noticed her whole body was trembling. "Just enjoy your McBastard!" With a last furious look, she turned and stormed from the cupboard.

Derek went to go after her, but Mark blocked his way, making steady eye contact. "Shep, haven't you done enough?" he asked, not bothering to keep the edge from his voice.

Derek sighed heavily, and then stormed in the other direction, leaving behind a very confused Rose. "Wait…are they together?" she asked, looking helplessly at Mark.

"Not anymore," he shrugged. "Welcome to the dirty mistresses club, Rose." Without another word, he hurried off in the direction Meredith had gone.

----

Meredith slammed the door to the on call room, and collapsed in a heap on the bed. _Breathe, Mer. Breathe._ Her whole body was shaking, and she doubted she could even page Christina if she wanted to. She resisted the urge. God knows her friends were tired of hearing about how messed up her life was. She was tired of hearing how messed up her life was. But seriously, the blows just never seemed to stop coming. Whoever was writing her life had a sick sense of humour.

To distract her thoughts from the sight of Derek kissing the scrub nurse, her thoughts drifted back to poor Finn. "_He'll hurt you again. And I won't be here."_ How right he'd been. She should have listened. She should have listened to all of them. Hell! Even McSteamy had warned her off of Derek.

She lay for a few moments, trying to think of absolutely nothing. It wasn't easy for a brain used to positively flying during surgeries. A knock on the door pulled her out of her shock. No doubt it was Derek, coming to make apologies and excuses. Well, she wasn't having it. "Go away, Derek!" she hollered.

"It's not Derek," came the deep voice of McSteamy. "It's Mark. Now unlock the door."

Meredith pulled herself up and unwillingly locked the door, slightly peeved Derek hadn't come banging down the door. She leaned on the door to face Mark. Even in her current state, she felt a little bit of a twitter at his ridiculousness attractiveness. Wearing a look of genuine concern, it was even more devastating.

"He wanted to come, but I stopped him," Mark explained. "He's not who you need right now."

"And you are?" Meredith asked sceptically.

"I could be," Mark shrugged, pushing his way into the room and closing the door. "Or I could just be the messenger and go get one of your little friends to come bitch about men to you."

"I don't want to bitch," Meredith lied, sitting down on the bed.

"That's a lie," Mark said, sitting down next to her. He had to lean forward to avoid hitting his head on the top bunk.

"I know," Meredith sighed. "But then again…it's really not. I just want to be okay and happy again. And ever since Derek came into my life…that's just been unobtainable."

"He's damaged goods," Mark repeated his words of long ago. "I told you that."

"But he knows how to say all the right things," Meredith complained. "He just seems incapable of carrying through with any of them."

Mark was silent for a minute, taking in the slender blonde. He didn't know her well, but they had developed a friendship out of their similar sense of humour and enjoyment in random, unattached sex. He reached out to grab her hand, dipping into foreign territory. "I really think, in your case, he wanted to," he said softly.

Meredith stared at Mark's large hand, running his words through her mind. "Its not enough," she shook her head. "It's never going to be enough."

"No," agreed Mark, thinking of the many promises he had given women over the years, never with any intention of keeping them. If he'd known this was the result of those promises, perhaps he would have been a little more careful with his words.

----

Lexie and George were sitting in the living room of Meredith's now overcrowded house. Alex and Izzie were working late, but Christina had caught a hold of Lexie before she headed home. Lexie tipped her head back on to the couch, remembering the few rushed sentences.

"_Look…are you going home soon?" Christina asked, allowing some nurses to wheel a gurney into the OR._

"_Yeah, as soon as I get changed," Lexie answered._

"_Good, stay there," Christina ordered. "Meredith dumped McDreamy. Or he made out with a scrub nurse. It's just…you should be there."_

"_Oh, God," Lexie sighed, feeling genuinely sorry for her older half-sister. "Is she gonna be okay?"_

"_Just…" Christina's eyes travelled to the OR and back. "It'll be bad. Make sure you have plenty of tequila."_

So now George and Lexie were on Meredith watch. There was pizza on the coffee table and two full bottles of tequila. All they needed was Meredith.

"Maybe she and Derek are making up?" Lexie suggested.

"I hope not," George said grimly. "I hope this thing is finally over."

Lexie sighed. "Poor Mer."

"He told her he wanted to marry her, you know," George told Lexie. "He said he wanted forever, and then he made out with a scrub nurse."

"A nurse," Lexie sneered, the word bitter on her tongue.

"I know," George chuckled.

The opening of the front door halted their conversation. Meredith came walking into the room, looking surprisingly collected. She took in the small gathering and raised her eyebrow. "You heard?" she inquired.

"Yeah," George confirmed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Meredith insisted. "It was time. It was definitely time."

"Do you wanna get completely intoxicated?" Lexie asked lightly, swinging one of the bottles of tequila in Meredith's direction.

Meredith laughed, her eyes glistening. "I definitely do. I just need to make one quick call."

"Not to Derek?" George raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, God, no," Meredith shook her head. "Promise." She dropped her bag in the living room and then hurried up the stairs, opening her cell phone as she went.

"That wasn't too bad," Lexie shrugged.

"No, I guess not," George agreed, highly suspicious.

----

Meredith turned on her bedroom light and closed the door tightly. She'd been aching to make this phone conversation ever since his words had come rushing back to her in the on call room. She'd been so stupid, so unbelievably stupid. But it couldn't be too late. She prayed it wasn't too late.

Her fingers clumsily dialled the numbers and for a few moments all she could hear was her thumping heart before the ringing started. Too late to turn back now.

After three rings, the phone picked up. "Hello?" came the deep steady voice of a man she'd carelessly thrown away a few months ago.

"Finn!" she felt a smile creep on her face. "Hi. It's me. Meredith."

There was a long silence on the line. Meredith felt doubts creep up on her. Calling Finn had been almost an immediate reaction. He'd had plans, and maybe they could just call the last few months a temporary stall. Or maybe, she started mentally kicking herself, maybe she was making one of those huge rebound errors. "Hey, Meredith," he finally spoke, sounding only a little less friendly. "What can I do for you?"

"How have you been?" she asked, avoiding his question.

"I'm all right," he replied. "Keeping busy, yourself?"

"Oh, you know…the same," she replied. "Just busy." Images of her mother, the ferry disaster, her surrogate mother, her drunken father, the fiasco that was her intern exam and now Derek and the scrub nurse flashed through her head. Definitely nothing she wanted to bring up right this minute.

"Right," Finn drawled. "Well…what do you need? Not another sick dog, I hope."

"Um…no, actually," Meredith stumbled over her words. "I was actually…well, I have some errands to run. Not birthing a horse type of errands, just…just grocery shopping. Which is, admittedly not exciting, but I still thought that maybe you would like to run errands with me. Then maybe go get coffee? Talk?"

There was another long silence from Finn. Meredith almost thought he'd hung up, before he spoke again. "What did he do?" Finn demanded, harshly.

Damn. Caught in the act. Dropping all pretence, Meredith sighed. "He kissed a scrub nurse."

"Typical," Finn snorted. "I told you he…" He left his sentence unfinished; his anger almost palatable.

"Yeah, well…you were right," Meredith tried a giggle. "Which is why I'm hoping you'll come with me on my errands. Please?"

"Seriously, Meredith?" he said shortly. "You sent me on my way. I had plans and hopes and you crushed them for this married man, and now he's sent you on your way and you expect me to just fix everything for you? I told you I wouldn't be there when he hurt you again."

Meredith blushed furiously. This was not going the way she'd planned. "I…I know what you said," she pleaded. "But I really thought we had something and…"

"And you shut me down, Meredith," he retorted. "Did you think I was just sitting around here waiting for you to come back and pick up the pieces again?"

"Well, no, not exactly…"

"Then why are you calling?" he demanded.

"I…I don't know," she admitted miserably. "I just, I didn't know what else to do."

"It kind of sucks when someone breaks your heart," he said, softly.

"No kidding," Meredith sighed, fighting back unwanted tears. "I'm…I'm sorry for calling."

"I'm sorry you called too," Finn said, bitterly.

Meredith hung up on him, fighting back anger at him. None of this was Finn's fault. All he had ever been was wonderful, and she'd hurt him badly. Probably because she was a bad person. She dumped the perfect guy, went to McDreamy, drove McDreamy away and then lost him to a scrub nurse. She was starting to think she was maybe a little unlovable.

The ringing of the phone distracted her. There was a wild leap of hope that Finn had called back, but call display revealed it was Christina. She flipped up the phone. "Hello?"

"Joes?" came the voice of her best friend. "Tequila?"

"Definitely," Meredith agreed, feeling weary and in need of a good stiff drink.

----

Christina was silently cursing herself. Why, oh why had she suggested Joe's? Everyone came to Joe's. Including neurosurgeons and their scrub nurses. Alex and Izzie had joined the other residents, Lexie and George around midnight. Alex had taken one look at Meredith, already three sheets to the wind and had immediately turned to Christina. "Look, we gotta get her out of here," he hissed.

"Why?" Christina asked, not entirely sober herself. "Look at her. She's happy."

"Well, she won't be for long…" Alex had not even finished his sentence before the door swung open to enter Rose and Derek.

Meredith lifted her head blearily and laughed, sounding a little unhinged. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me! More tequila, Joe!" Joe took one look at Derek with his arm around a scrub nurse and poured Meredith a double shot.

"This one's on the house," he said, sympathetically.

Now, twenty minutes later and four more shots, the scenario was just getting awkward. Awkward enough that Izzie couldn't stop laughing.

"You guys really have to get another bar," Lexie observed, pulling her sister's hair back out of the sticky bar. Her hair was in danger of getting covered in alcohol, because she was basically passed out on the bar.

"You'd think he'd have the decency to go somewhere else," George half-growled, glaring openly at Derek.

"That would require being a decent human being," Izzie snorted, before bursting into giggles.

"Is she drunk?" demanded Christina.

"I wish," Alex laughed, laying a hand on the hysteric Izzie's back. "Least she's drawing more attention than Mer."

The door to the bar swung open, but none of the old friends bothered to turn around. Probably more bad luck for one of them. Things didn't really go their way anymore. Christina suppressed her own drunken giggle. All she needed now was Burke or Marlow coming back for some sort of show off.

"Unbelievable," said a voice she vaguely recognized behind her. "This is what you thought would be good for her."

Christina swirled around on her bar seat and stared blearily at the newcomer. "McVet!" she cried cheerfully. "Welcome! Have a drink."

Finn's kind brown eyes looked with pity down at the almost unconscious Meredith. "This is so completely not what she needed," he chastised Christina. "Move."

Feeling affronted, but a little interested to see how and why McVet was here, on tonight of all nights, she slid off her bar stool, leaning on the bar for support.

He carefully placed an arm around Meredith and helped her sit up straighter. She blinked at him a few times, as if not believing her eyes. "Hey you," he said softly.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" she asked.

"No clue," he shrugged. "After you called, I just paced around angrily for a while and then realized if you made me that angry…well, I had to come look after you so I could make sure you were still around to yell at."

Meredith swayed dangerously. "That…that really doesn't make much sense, Finn."

"I know," he chuckled.

----

Derek had been looking forward to his evening with Rose. He'd anticipated a good time with excellent, mature conversation, until the moment he'd walked into Joe's. His wreck of an ex-girlfriend and her ever faithful brigade of friends were perched at their usual spot at the bar, shooting daggers at him whenever the moment seemed appropriate. Altogether not the best atmosphere for a first date.

As it neared one in the morning, Derek realized Meredith wasn't going anywhere. Mostly because she was almost passed out. He shook his head, resisting the old reflex of attempting to help her. He knew how that ended. Yelling and pushing and distance. She was well beyond his aid, possibly unreachable to any male. Rose was far too classy to let herself get into such a state in a public place.

"Look…why don't we go back to my place?" he offered. "I realize this hasn't been exactly comfortable."

"What are you talking about?" Rose joked. "Nothing I love more than knowing the most promising residents at Seattle Grace hate my guts."

"Don't worry about them," Derek shrugged. "They got over Addison, they'll get over you. And besides…the head of neurosurgeon certainly does not hate you."

"Excellent," Rose grinned, leaning in and giving Derek a quick peck on the cheek. He felt a sudden warmth rush through him, assurance that he was making the right call. No matter what Mark had said.

Lost in his thoughts, Derek didn't notice the newcomer as quickly as Rose did. "Hey…wasn't he at the chief's niece's prom?" she inquired, her eyes over at Meredith's crowd.

Derek's eyes almost popped out of his skull as he saw Finn Dandridge slip an arm around Meredith. Finn and Meredith didn't talk. She'd broken things off with him and she certainly did not slide up to him comfortably at bars. Unless…

"Will you just excuse me for a moment, Rose?" he asked. "This is kind of important."

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes, but nodded her consent.

Derek made his way over to the bar, feeling his stomach churn at the thought of confrontation. "Finn," he said shortly.

Finn stood up to face Derek, purposefully blocking Meredith from view. "Shepard," Finn nodded.

"What are you doing here?" Derek demanded.

"Making sure Meredith gets home," Finn shrugged, not breaking eye contact.

"Oh, that's sweet," Derek drawled sarcastically. "You're looking after her."

"Well frankly, someone's got to," Finn challenged. "Cause you did a piss poor job of it."

Derek felt taken back. He had never even considered that he'd done a poor job at the mess that was he and Meredith. All he had ever been was there for her. "You have no idea what you're dealing with," Derek warned. "She will break you."

"Oh will you just go away?" Christina hissed, moving to face Derek. "You've screwed this up way too many times to keep blaming this on her. Who had the secret wife? Who walked away when you were finally free to be together? Oh, and who made out with the scrub nurse?"

"I was nothing but there for her!" Derek retorted, eyes blazing.

"You're delusional," Christina rolled her eyes.

"And furthermore, you're not good for her," George spoke up. "You asked me to look after her once, and I should have. I should never have let her go back to you."

"Look," Finn interrupted. "None of this matters anymore. It's in the past. We should all just move forward." Without another thought for Derek, he turned back to Meredith. "You ready to go home?"

She nodded, with a sloppy smile. "Home time." She stood to go, and almost immediately fell on her face.

Finn laughed and scooped her up in his arms. "Time to go."

"No…no, I can walk…"Meredith insisted, words slurred.

"Sure you can," Finn laughed, resting his head briefly on Meredith's. "But it's more fun this way."

"Okay," Meredith agreed, resting her head on his shoulder.

Derek watched the scene with a burning jealousy in his stomach. Where had that blind easy trust been in the time that he had known Meredith?

Meredith's friends were gathering their things and following Finn and Meredith out of the bar. "And you're all drunk, so you're getting rides home from me," he hollered back. Laughing and stumbling, Izzie and Christina hurried after Finn. George and Alex spared Derek one more hateful look each before following the girls.

Lexie was still struggling into her coat. Derek went to help her, figuring it was the gentleman thing to do, but she wrenched back from him, and grabbed her purse. "You're an ass," she snarled, before marching sharply after her friends.

Rose came up behind Derek, holding their things. "Well, that was kind of humiliating," she observed bluntly.

"No kidding," Derek agreed, taking his coat from her. His mind was filled with images of Meredith's head resting on Finn peacefully.

_Be the better guy_ the chief had said. Maybe he was just beginning to realize what that meant.

-----


	2. I Shall Believe

**Chapter 2- I Shall Believe**

_That not everything is gonna be the way  
You think it ought to be  
It seems like every time I try to make it right  
It all comes down on me  
Please say honestly you won't give up on me  
And I shall believe_

**Disclaimer:** Grey's Anatomy does not belong to me. (Oops, forgot this last time).

**AN:** Hey guys! I can't believe the positive feedback you've given me on this. I was a little unsure about bringing Finn back into the picture, but I've missed him ever since he left, so I wanted to humour myself a bit. Don't get me wrong, I love Derek, but he really is being a McBastard lately. Also, I just wanted to mention that even if the residents bash nurses a lot in here, it doesn't reflect my own opinion on the nursing profession. It's just characteristic for our favourite arrogant surgeons. On that note, enjoy the chapter 

----

Meredith woke up with a massive hangover and the shrill beeping of her alarm. Her frequent bed mate, Christina, seemed to have deserted her. She still couldn't rationalize going out in the evenings when she knew she had to be up for five in the morning. Three hours of drunken sleep was just not enough, yet it never seemed to stop her from throwing back tequila. Memories of the previous night started to tumble into her sleep-fogged brain, but had to be put on temporary hold as she felt bilge rising in her throat.

She ran into Izzie, clutching a mug of coffee on her hectic dash to the bathroom. "Good morning, sunshine," Izzie sang out, looking as though she at least had gotten up on the right side of the bed.

Meredith barely made it to the washroom before last night's tequila revisited her in a very unpleasant manner. When she was sure there would be no more heaving, she rolled over, unwilling to get off of the floor._ This is my life. I drink too much, sleep too little, am left for scrub nurses and can't even charm a vet…_

A new flood of hazy memories caused her to jolt up off the floor. She dashed downstairs, half expecting to see Finn passed out on the couch. Instead Lexie was slowly waking up and George's deserted sleeping bag greeted her eyes. "Morning," yawned Lexie. "Is it time for work already?"

"Yeah," Meredith answered, impatiently. "Look, how did we get home last night?"

"God, you really were gone, weren't you?" Alex teased, coming downstairs, still buttoning his shirt. Meredith noticed Lexie was trying desperately not to stare at his washboard abs. "Your old boyfriend rescued you from supreme humiliation." He noticed Lexie's gaze and shot her a flirtatious look.

"Thanks," Meredith rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, and stop flirting with my little sister." Lexie blushed beet red.

Christina entered the living room, looking chipper and unaffected by last night's binge drinking. "Look, can you three save the chitchat for later? Izzie won't give me food until we're all sitting down together and if we don't leave soon, we're going to be late."

"Oh, yes, Doctor Yang," Lexie jumped to her feet, the intern in her coming out. Meredith and Alex made no attempt to hide their giggles as they entered the kitchen where Izzie was serving up French toast.

George took a bite out of his toast and waved the rest of it in greeting. "What I don't get," he carried on a conversation he'd already been having with Izzie. "Is how he knew it was all right to show up?"

"You mean, Finn?" Alex asked, stuffing a muffin in his mouth.

Izzie looked at him in disgust, but nodded. "Yeah…have you even talked to him since you guys broke up, Mer?"

Meredith helped herself to a slice of French toast. "I maybe called him," she admitted, liberally applying maple syrup.

"Oh wait!" Christina interjected. "You called McVet…the guy with the dead wife…to tell him the guy you left him for left you for a nurse and…what? Let's try again?"

"Not exactly," Meredith mumbled around her toast.

"That's cold, Mer," Alex laughed. "I'm proud."

"I can't believe he showed up," George shook his head. "Meredith, you've got him whipped."

"Don't be so fast," Lexie argued. "He's not here right now, is he?"

"That's because he got too much of this asylum last time around," Christina shut her down. "Eat your breakfast, Three." Lexie rolled her eyes at Christina, but took her ribaldry in good humour.

Meredith couldn't help but keep Lexie's words in the forefront of her mind. Finn was just a genuinely good guy, who knew her well enough to know she would have been wallowing in drink and self-pity. It was exactly like him to show up and check on her. His appearance didn't mean he was interested in ever having her back in his life.

The clock chimed 5:30 and all of the doctors flew into a panic, bumping into each other as they dashed around the house, getting dressed and searching for lost keys. "God, Mer…this place is like a nut house," Izzie complained, snatching her shoe away from Christina who had misplaced her own in the clutter at the front door.

"People are what matters," Meredith shrugged. "I'm not going to turn anyone away."

"Crazy," Izzie mouthed at her, grabbing her car keys. "Okay, who is coming with me?" Alex and Lexie ran after her and piled into her car.

George was waiting by Meredith's car as she and Christina came out of the house, locking the front door behind them. "Look…are you okay?" Christina asked her in an undertone as they made their way down the front steps.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Meredith insisted. "Why wouldn't I be fine?"

"Well, last time you broke up with McDre…err…McBastard…there was lots of crying and talking about our feelings," Christina reasoned. "I just wanted to know if I need to be prepared for something similar."

Meredith chuckled. "I'm just actively not thinking about him. I really think I'm over it. It was time."

"Avoidance and denial," Christina nodded knowingly. "That's my girl."

Meredith gave her a joking shove before jumping into the driver's seat of her vehicle. Time for another hellish shift at Seattle Grace. She started the engine, slightly surprised that it was not thoughts of Derek she was trying to subdue. Instead she was desperately trying to not go over her drunken conversations with Finn. This was so not what she needed.

----

Finn Dandridge was never uncertain. He always knew exactly what he wanted, and knew how to go about getting it. He had been prom king in high school. People liked him; they wanted to be his friend. And before getting married, he'd certainly never had any problem with the female sex. But when Kim died, everything suddenly changed. He stopped calling his multitude of friends. His most serious relationship was with the receptionist who worked at his veterinary clinic, and he spent his days trying to remember how to get up in the morning. He'd lost track of time, lost track of everything but putting one foot in front of the other. Until, almost two years after Kim's accident, he looked up from an old dog's charts at a slender, crazy knitting woman and woke up again.

Meredith Grey was scary and damaged and probably not the best choice for a recovering widower. But Kim had always said you couldn't chose who you fell for, and in this case, Finn fell fast. Before he knew it, he was in the most ridiculous dating competition with a married man, and thinking every moment of it was worth it. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. And he was alone again. Somehow, it was easier this time around. He went on dates with beautiful women and he began making his own plans. He got in touch with old friends and even went on a fishing trip to Montana. And then last night, the hurricane that had started his life again came barrelling back into it.

Perhaps he was being unfair. He'd willingly immersed himself in it, despite his original misgivings. Misgivings that were back in full force this morning. He shook his head, trying to concentrate on anything but the petite blonde who had curled so comfortably into his grasp. He had patients to see. He smiled at Betty, the receptionist, and welcomed a married couple and their young daughter into his office.

"Good morning, Mr and Mrs. Kent," he smiled warmly.

"Doctor, what is wrong with Mitsy?" demanded the young girl. She was a petulant little thing with red pigtails, now that Finn took the time to look.

Finn glanced at her parents, and then chose to talk directly to the girl. "Well, you see, Mitsy has what's called diabetes. Now what that means is-"

"Wait a minute," interjected Mr. Kent. "It's a cat. Cats can't get diabetes."

Finn resisted the urge to twitch. Mr. Kent had wavy black hair and an arrogance that perfectly matched Derek Shepherd's. His brain was flooded again with the thoughts of Meredith he'd tried to quell. Just what the hell did a down-to-earth girl like Meredith see in the brain surgeon? He shook his head and tried to refocus on Mitsy.

"Actually, it is quite possible," he explained. "And quite common in cats Mitsy's age. The condition can be controlled by two shots of insulin a day..."

It seemed to take forever to get the Kents on their way, but eventually he sent them out to Betty with a prescription and specific instructions. He collapsed in his office chair and surrendered to his thoughts.

_What the hell am I doing? I am not actually going to put myself through this again? She just ended it with Shepherd yesterday, and knowing her she could run back at any time._ He laid his hands over his face, trying to rub out the exhaustion. He had never had any intention of going out to find Meredith last night after hanging up. He'd been determined to just forget about her.

But as the night wore on, he found that task impossible to do. Even worse, anger was slowly replaced by worry. Images of Meredith lying in a hospital bed, tears welling in her eyes, assured that Derek would hurt her again refused to leave him alone. So finally, shortly after midnight, he gave up trying to sleep and headed out to Joe's Bar.

In his mind, he skipped over the confrontation with Shepherd at Joe's, the loud ride to Meredith's house, up until the moment he had carried Meredith up to her room. He'd only been to Meredith's house a few times, and had stayed over only once. He remembered feeling like he didn't belong, somehow. Maybe unconsciously, he'd felt Derek's presence in the room. He hadn't pushed the matter when Meredith showed interest in spending most nights at his house. He'd never pushed anything with her, simply showed patience and waited for whenever she would be ready to let him in.

This time his reaction to the room was different. The room seemed strictly Meredith's, though he reasoned Shepherd must have been in the room many times since then. He closed his eyes, and felt the same bone weariness drift over him.

_He carefully laid Meredith on the bed, and pulled the covers down, helping her drunkenly slip under them. "There you go," he smiled, unwillingly charmed by her vulnerability._

_"Thank you, Finn," she smiled. She looked up at him and their eyes met. Somehow the glistening in her eyes seemed not to be from the alcohol, but from genuine emotion. "I'm…I'm so sorry. I was such an idiot. But you know, he's Derek. And I thought that meant something. And oops…it turned out it didn't, so here I am. Alone and asking you to forgive me for being such an idiot."_

_He hushed her, sitting down on the bed, and reaching out to brush back her hair. "You don't have to explain anything right now," he shrugged. "We can talk later. When you'll actually remember it."_

_"No," she protested, struggling to sit up. "You see…he had a wife. A wife he didn't tell me about. So I thought it had to mean something. You don't just cheat on your wife with someone you won't love forever, right?"_

_"I…I don't know, Mer," Finn admitted awkwardly. "I wouldn't think so."_

_"Exactly," she nodded in earnest, flopping back down on the bed._

_"Okay," Finn smiled sadly. "I'm going to go now. You try and get some sleep. You'll need to get up early." He reached over across her slender frame and re-started her alarm, hoping her schedule was still the same. Getting up at five AM was not something he was about to forget anytime soon._

_She shifted a little and suddenly their faces were very close together. With the confidence of alcohol in her, Meredith lunged up and kissed him full on the lips. He made no move to respond, confused beyond belief. She lay down again, a dopey grin on her bed. "G'night, McVet," she teased._

_"Good…good night, Meredith," he replied, standing and turning off the light, eager to leave before he was unable to._

Finn sighed, half in disbelief. When Meredith first left, he'd been pissed off. He knew he was the better guy, she knew he was the better guy and he was angry at her stupid decision. He'd never suspected he might still retain feelings for her. In recent months, the only thought he spared her was after the hugely publicised ferry disaster. He'd thought briefly how busy she must be, and then had returned to vaccinating a cat.

The door creaked open and Betty popped her head. "Dr. Dandridge, you've got a dog neutering at one o'clock," she reminded him. "And then the Andersons want you to run over to check up on their newest pig."

"Thanks, Betty," he smiled. "You can go for lunch now." She nodded her thanks, and he let out a groan as soon as the door closed. This was so not his day.

----

Christina tried to pen up the boiling rage as she made her way through the cafeteria line, practically throwing her money at the cafeteria lady. She didn't wait for change, not caring that she'd just paid ten dollars for a Greek salad. Flinging herself down in a seat at their favourite table, she finally let the anger spill out. "AGAIN!" she hollered. "I was passed up. Again!"

"Passed up for what?" George asked around a mouthful of peanut butter and banana sandwich.

"For a carotid endarterectomy!" Christina hissed. "I am Queen at endarterectomies. Burke taught me how to do one on my own. But that's not good enough for Dr. 'Don't sleep where you piss' Hahn!"

"She still black listing you then?" Meredith asked as she sat down, popping open her grilled cheese container.

"Yes," grumbled Christina. "And she put in Alex. I mean, Alex…seriously! He belongs on the friggin' gyny squad."

"Shut it, Yang," Alex retorted, taking his seat. "I'm still on my cardio high, and I don't need you ruining it."

Christina looked up from her salad, wearing a glare of death. "I will kill you with a scalpel. You realize this, yes?"

George and Meredith giggled into their sandwiches. "Well, if its any consolation, I'm pretty sure I'm officially blacklisted from any neurology surgeries," Meredith patted Christina's arm, allowing her eyes to drift over to where Derek was eating lunch with Rose.

"Think he's showed her the house plans?" Izzie asked, rolling her eyes. Everyone had had a good chuckle at Derek showing up with house plans the day after making out with a scrub nurse for the first time.

"Probably," Meredith growled. "Just crossed out my name on the master bedroom."

Izzie shot her a look of sympathy. "Don't even think about him, Mer," she said consolingly. "You were way too good for him anyways. I mean, c'mon? Secret wives? Illicit rendezvous with scrub nurses? _So_ not worth your time."

Christina shot a very pointed look of hatred in Rose's direction, making sure the nurse noticed it. "I can't believe he's dating a nurse," she sneered. "Even Alex and George don't do that anymore."

Alex growled in Christina's direction, and she shook her fork menacingly at him. The table erupted in laughter. Christina noticed Rose glance over nervously, and laughed even louder. Stupid twit.

"Hey…where's Lexie?" George asked, suddenly.

"I don't know," Christina shrugged. "Off doing intern things. Speaking of which…why aren't you off being all intern-y?"

"Because some interns have nice residents," George retorted quickly.

"Nicely said," Meredith grinned. She winked at him. "I've got him well-trained, as you can see."

"Why…why do you want to know where she is?" Izzie asked. There was a slightly uncomfortable silence. Everyone was still try to adjust from Izzie and George having an adulterous affair back to Izzie and George just being friends again.

George smiled though. "Oh, you know…just intern-y things." This was greeted with more laughter, that drew the attention of Dr. Sloan, who had just entered the cafeteria.

"What's the joke?" Mark asked, sneaking up behind Meredith and stealing one of her grapes.

"Hey!" she protested, making a grab for it. He offered her a charming grin. She rolled her eyes. "And you wouldn't understand…what with being an attending and all."

"Very funny," he drawled. "How's my favourite dirty mistress holding up?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Meredith shrugged; surprised to find that was actually the truth. "And haven't you heard? I'm the wronged woman now?"

Mark scoffed. "Impossible. I won't have you reforming on me." He glanced over to Alex. "Karev, you want in on a contracture surgery this afternoon?"

"Yes, please, sir," Alex perked up.

Mark nodded. "Go get the charts when you're done eating then. Try to be useful, you know. Can't lose you to those damn cardio surgeons." He glanced over at Derek and Rose. "And now, regretfully, I have to go join the cheating bastard." He winked at Meredith. "Forgive me?"

She chuckled. "Somehow…eventually..."

"So kind." He pretended to bow over her hand, and then sauntered over to Derek and Rose.

"_Yes, please, sir_?" Christina mocked. "Why didn't you just pull down his pants and kiss his rock-solid ass?"

Alex wasn't going to be goaded. "Whatever, Yang. You're just jealous 'cause I've had two bloody, glorious surgeries today and you're…oh, what are you doing…knitting?"

"Someone get me a scalpel," Christina demanded, lunging across the table, producing more gales of laughter.

----

Rose uncomfortably glanced over at the table of residents across the cafeteria. "Derek, they're laughing at me," she complained. "Again."

"No, they're not," Derek argued.

"Dr. Yang is staring death wishes at me," Rose observed blatantly.

"Yeah, she does that from time to time," Derek conceded. He reached over and grabbed Rose's hand. "Look, I realize last night was…less than perfect. But we shouldn't let it ruin something that was going so well."

"I just don't see how we can possibly work with them," Rose argued.

"They'll get over it," Derek shrugged. "It took them about a month to get used to Addy. Even Christina forgave her, eventually."

"Oh good," Rose sighed. "Then they're used to seeing you leave Meredith for other women."

"Rose," sighed Derek, shooting her a look that made her want to melt. "Meredith and I just weren't compatible, and she's beginning to realize it. I'm with you, now. You're who I'm focusing on."

"You're sure?" Rose asked, feeling herself drawn in to those deep, intelligent eyes.

"What is he doing over there?" Derek suddenly looked beyond Rose to the resident table. She spun around, feeling a twinge of annoyance to see Dr. Sloan standing behind Meredith, wearing a charming smile.

"I'd say he's flirting," Rose observed bluntly. "Definitely flirting."

"Before I've even left her bed cold," Derek muttered. "Unbelievable."

Rose spun back to face him, wondering if he'd heard his own hypocrisy, but he wasn't paying the slightest attention to her. His thoughts were all on the man who was now coming to sit at their table. Mark shot her a grin, and then turned to face an angry Derek.

"What now?" he asked, with bluntness to match Rose's.

"I'm sorry…were you just _flirting _with Meredith?" Derek demanded.

Mark laughed harshly. "Hell no. I am completely done with sleeping with your women." He turned to Rose. "No offence."

"None taken," she smiled.

There was a small, awkward silence before Derek spoke again. "Is she okay?"

"Who?" Mark asked, purposefully feigning ignorance.

"Meredith," Derek supplied, stoically not looking at Rose.

"Oh, she said she's fine," Mark shrugged.

"She's always fine," Derek complained. "Who the hell is she not fine with?"

"I hear she was more than fine with a certain vet last night," Mark chuckled, exchanging laughing glances with Rose.

Derek shot him an unimpressed look. Mark rolled his eyes and gave up the joke. "Look, I came out because the chief just got in an emergency brain abscess patient. He's an old patient of the chief's. Richard requested you do it."

"Yeah, of course," Derek agreed, still staring at the table where Meredith and her friends were now packing up their things. "Ask…uh…Yang to scrub in with me, will you?"

"Sure thing," Mark shrugged. "See you around." He left, following Meredith and her friends.

"You're letting Yang scrub in?" Rose asked, surprised.

"She's a talented surgeon," Derek said, picking away at his salad.

"Yeah, but she wants to kill me," Rose pointed out.

Derek laughed. "That doesn't affect her skills, Rose."

"Don't you think it will make operating a bit…uncomfortable?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh…oh, I don't think you're with me this afternoon," Derek responded. "I don't make your schedule, you know."

"Oh, right," Rose said, caught off guard. "I…uh…I just thought you might request me."

"Well, not with Yang in the room," Derek contradicted. "And, no offence, but she's a bit more important in the actual surgery. Not that you're not an excellent nurse."

"I am an excellent nurse!" Rose said, anger flaring.

"I know," soothed Derek. "But you went to UCLA, hun. Yang's a Dartmouth…err…Stanford graduate." He stood up, evidently giving up on his salad. "Anyways, I better get going if I'm going make it in time. I'll see you after work?"

"Sure," Rose said, feeling more than a little blindsided.

"Good," Derek smiled, already walking away.

Rose waited until he was out of earshot before letting out an audible groan. _What kind of mess am I getting myself into?_


	3. Taking Chances

**Chapter 3- Taking Chances**

_I just want to start again,  
And maybe you could show me how to try,  
And maybe you could take me in,  
Somewhere underneath your skin?_

_What do you say to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge?_

**Disclaimer:** Grey's does not belong to me. If it did, I wouldn't have to be writing this. Heh.

**AN:** So, I've begun getting the 'Is this a MerDer fic or a MerFinn fic?' questions. And the truth is, I don't know. So far I've got ten chapters planned out and they are all very definitely MerFinn, so he's going to be around for a while. But Derek is also becoming another contender from where I'm looking. I'm pretty anti-Derek right now, and I don't see how I could realistically get them to a place where it makes sense for them to be together, but we'll see how it goes. For right now though, probably look at this as MerFinn. I mean, he's got plans, and I like Finn.

------

Meredith shifted awkwardly on the couch for the umpteenth time that evening, trying to concentrate on her mother's surgical tapes they had whipped out for the evening. She caught Christina eyeing her, and tried to make the movement look like she was reaching for another handful of popcorn. As she settled back into the sofa, she had to laugh. Her house looked like a full blown pyjama party. Izzie was painting Lexie's toenails. George and Alex were making bets on the result of the current operation and there was junk food everywhere. Popcorn, pizza, and cake littered the coffee table, along with mugs and half-empty pop cans. There were also sleeping beds and makeshift beds strewn everywhere.

"I love this house," Meredith announced to no one in particular.

"Why?" Christina grumbled. "It's like a frat house."

"You do have an apartment of your own, you know," George observed.

"Actually, no, I don't," Christina shot back, mercilessly. "Your ex-wife is inhabiting it." Both George and Izzie blushed and were momentarily unable to glance at each other.

"Ten points, Yang!" Alex exclaimed, offering her his palm for a high-five, which she returned boisterously.

Lexie looked up from admiring her new toe polish. "Meredith…when are you going to call Finn?" she asked, a glint in her eyes.

"Um…soon," Meredith said shortly. "Oh, wow….look at that suture…it's beautiful."

"Right," drawled Izzie. "Because you're totally into this movie right now."

"I am," insisted Meredith. "My mother was extremely talented."

Izzie elbowed Christina. "Say. Something," she mouthed.

Christina took a moment to glare at Izzie before speaking up. "Lexie's right. And…err…Finn is a really talented…animal doctor too."

"Could that have been anymore painful for you?" Meredith cocked an eyebrow.

"Possibly," Christina grumbled. "I still do think you should call him."

"I'm not calling him," Meredith protested. "The ball's in his court."

Alex snorted. "The ball is so in your court."

"Oh, what do you know?" Meredith demanded.

"The dude brought you home all drunken and sloppy," Alex observed. "You have to make the next move. It's a rule."

"Where are these rules?" Meredith inquired. "And who wrote them?"

"Seriously, Meredith," Izzie brandished her nail polish at her. "Just call the damn vet."

"Fine," Meredith sighed, jumping up. "I will. Since you're all going to be so difficult about it."

"Ooh, but hurry back and tell us all about it!" Lexie called after her. They watched Meredith stomp up the stairs before turning back to the tape. Lexie looked around at her newfound family, feeling lucky to have been finally let in. "You know," she observed. "We should get a dog."

"NO!" Izzie and George protested immediately.

---

Meredith held her cell phone up, staring at Finn's number. All she had to do was press the dial button. Why was she so nervous? It had to go better than last night's phone call. Taking a deep breath and trying to quell her anxious stomach, she impulsively pressed the green call button.

The phone picked up immediately, almost as though he had been waiting by the phone. She took heart from that, and was shocked to hear her voice surprisingly steady. "Hey. It's me. Again."

"Well, hello, you. Again," Finn responded. The butterflies came rushing back. "How was your head today?"

Meredith laughed. "Horrible," she admitted. "And embarrassed. And extremely grateful."

"Well, nothing I like better than playing knight in shining armour to drunken damsels in distress."

Meredith waited for the closing in sensation she'd felt when Derek first referred to himself as her knight in shining armour, but it never came. Feeling more confident still, she jumped right into the heart of the conversation. "So, you showed up," she observed bluntly. "Even though you said you wouldn't, you still showed up."

"Yeah, apparently," Finn agreed slowly.

"You're that guy, eh?" Meredith teased.

"I don't know…" he trailed off. "Who is that guy anyways?"

"He's a good guy," Meredith answered, immediately. "He's…he's definitely the better guy."

There was a thoughtful silence on the other end. "Meredith," he finally began, still slowly. "I'm not going to…deny…I may have been wrong in thinking that I don't want you to be a part of my life. It's just…"

"Just I'm a mess with a serious complex involving a certain neurosurgeon?" she interrupted.

"Not exactly what I was going to say," Finn's voice sounded slightly amused. "It's just…I'm not going to be your rebound. I'm not going to be the guy who heals all the scars, and then gets left because you don't need him anymore."

"I know," Meredith said simply.

"Do you?" Finn prodded. "Because this seems awfully fast. You and Derek broke up…yesterday?"

"Not exactly," Meredith contradicted. "We were practising S&M for a few weeks without any sort of a relationship."

"Excuse me?" Finn's voice sounded a bit strangled.

"Oh…Sex and Mockery," Meredith supplied. "Anyways, then we got back together for literally a day, and he turns up with house plans and expects me to pick out my room…and then I walked on him kissing a scrub nurse."

"Ouch," Finn winced, sounding truly sympathetic.

"Yeah," Meredith continued. "Turned out he'd kissed the scrub nurse before he showed me the house plans. But apparently it's all my fault, seeing as he can't breathe for me."

"Why…why would he need to breathe for you?" Finn asked, now sounding confused.

"It's…uh…an awkward and long story about me drowning in the Pacific Ocean…" Meredith answered. "A lot has happened since you went away."

"Evidently," Finn said incredulously. "You…drowned?"

"Tip of the iceberg," Meredith half-laughed. "If you thought I was scary and damaged before…"

"Well…why don't you tell me all about it over dinner this weekend?" Finn asked, his words coming in a rush.

Meredith felt some sort of strange rush of warmth spread through her body. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Finn nodded. "I mean…its just dinner for a pair of friends to catch up and…well, see where things are."

"That sounds absolutely perfect," Meredith agreed, a huge smile twitching at the corner of her mouth.

"So Friday night…I'll make reservations for eight?" Finn suggested. "Will that work with your schedule?"

"Yup," Meredith confirmed. "I work until two AM Friday morning, so I should have the rest of the day off. Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Finn teased. "Just dress nicely."

"How nice is nice?" Meredith asked coyly. "Friend's night out nice or date nice?"

There was a short pause on the other end that left Meredith tumbling on the edge of uncertainty. She could almost feel Finn's smile before he spoke. "Fine. Be that way. Date nice."

Meredith suppressed a squeal. "Just wondering," she said smoothly.

"Oh, shut up," Finn laughed. "I'll see you Friday."

"See you Friday," Meredith smiled. She hung up the phone and clutched it to her chest. This was what she needed. She was refusing to let the termination of Derek get her depressed and scary again. Before when they were apart, she'd always assumed it was temporary. Maybe it was time to just let go and plan her future as separate from Derek's. Maybe it was time to just put herself out there and take a chance. Taking a deep, calming breath, she hurried downstairs to tell her room mates.

---

George shifted uncomfortably, unable to get to sleep on the living room floor. He winced at the thought of Alex up in his old room. He_had_ to go and get married quickly and then have an affair, effectively leaving him homeless and unloved. Not to mention a complete and utter disappointment to his parents. Oh, and then, of course, failing his intern test. All in all, definitely not his best year.

Still, he thought, trying to arrange his pillow more comfortably. It could be worse. He still had his friends, and this time around he understood everything he came up across. What was one more year in his hospital training? It would only make him a better doctor at the end of the road.

A dissatisfied groan coming from the couch revealed he wasn't the only one who found their sleeping arrangements uncomfortable. Lexie flipped over, mumbling incoherently into her pillow. He was glad to have met Lexie and even gladder that Meredith had finally seen past her issues and accepted her sister into her new family. George had taken an instant liking to Lexie. She had been the exact sort of friend he'd needed when things with he and Izzie had gone down in flames.

"Lex?" he whispered. "Lexie? You asleep?"

"No," she moaned, flipping over to face him.

"How long are you going to keep sleeping here, do you think?" he asked.

"Until I find the nerve to face my alcoholic father," she shrugged, brushing a hand over her eyes. "I can't leave him on his own much longer. All he can make are bologna sandwiches."

"You can't look after him forever," George reminded her softly.

"I know," she sighed, flopping on to her back. "I just can't see what else to do, you know?"

"Why don't you move in with me?" George asked. He'd been thinking about it for the past few days, and it seemed a perfect solution. Lexie was easy to get along with and between the two of them; they should be able to manage to make half-decent meals every now and again. Or at least drive over and beg food from Izzie.

Lexie sat up quickly. "Really?" she asked, excitement not at all contained in her voice. "Do you think we could?"

"Don't see why not," shrugged George. "Makes rent cheaper."

"Yeah," nodded Lexie, grinning widely. "That would be so awesome, George."

"You'll do it, then?"

"Definitely," Lexie agreed. "I'll tell Dad tomorrow after work."

"I can come with you, if you want?" George suggested, knowing how scared she would be to face her father.

She paused, thinking for a moment. "No," she finally answered. "No, that's all right. I think this is something I should deal with on my own."

"Okay," agreed George. He lay down again, feeling slightly better about the floor situation.

"Night, roomie," Lexie whispered.

George chuckled. "Good night, roomie."

----

_"So you're just kissing scrub nurses now?" Meredith hissed, still trying to line up the Derek she'd been feeling more and more love for with the Derek who made out with nurses in supply closets. "And you wonder why I can't trust you?"_

"_I knew this was going to happen," Derek sighed heavily. "I knew you were going to find some way to back out on this, as usual."_

"_Derek!" Meredith half-screamed. "Walking in on you kissing another woman is not me making excuses. It's you cheating on me."_

"_How do I know if it's cheating, when I never know where you are in this thing?" demanded Derek. "You need to make a decision."_

"_You said you'd wait," Meredith pointed out. "You said I had time. I've had a few weeks."_

"_I can't take this anymore," Derek said, anger in his voice and eyes. "The yelling and the fighting and the back and forth. Are we together or are we not?"_

"_Oh, we were together," Meredith reminded him. "And then your wife showed up…"_

"_So we're going to have that fight again," Derek growled. "I knew the minute I showed you those plans you'd find some reason to walk away."_

_Meredith resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Oh, so you're calling my bluff?"_

"_No matter what I do, you are always going to find reasons not to trust me," Derek carried on. "You can't trust anyone."_

"_No, Derek," Meredith was shocked to find herself finally standing up to him. And shocked to find it felt good. "I can trust people. I just can't trust _you._"_

_Derek looked at her, and for a moment, she saw that old look of hatred that had surfaced when she'd started dating. "I can't do this anymore," he said, sounding defeated. "I just…I can't."_

"_Well, neither can I," Meredith admitted. As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they were the truth. And even though he was standing there, looking at her, giving her the chance to say the words that would keep him with her…she knew she wasn't going to say them. Knew she couldn't. Instead she just brushed past him and walked away._

Meredith was jolted awake by a rough shove in her back. "Meredith, you're crying in your sleep again," Christina observed.

Meredith raised a hand to her eyes, feeling dampness on her cheeks. "Damn it," she cursed.

"You know…it's all right to not be okay with this," Christina mumbled, head still buried in her pillow.

"I'm fine," Meredith insisted, still believing it was true. "But…Christina…do you think I have trouble trusting people?"

Christina rolled over to face her. "People? Or married, scrub nurse kissing brain surgeons?"

Meredith giggled. "Valid point." She rolled out of bed and dragged the covers off of Christina. "C'mon, time to go to work."

---

Mark double checked his burn victim's chart and shook his head, still incredulous at the case. He could honestly say he'd officially seen everything now. He snapped the chart closed, choosing not to focus on the burn or the excruciating pain that would be caused by it. Best thing for the patient was to get him into surgery as soon as possible. All he had to do was choose a resident to assist him.

The decision was an easy one. He was beginning to feel a slight obligation to Karev, if only because of the intern's sheer dedication, but today he thought there was someone else who needed the pick-me up a little bit more. "Grey!" he called, looking down in the hospital lobby where Meredith was carefully checking a discharge one of her intern's had done. As she looked up, he wondered if she was aware of the look Derek was giving her. He was supposed to be explaining a procedure to one of his patient's families, but all he seemed capable of was staring.

Meredith walked to the bottom of the staircase and looked up at him, smirking. "What do you want from me now?" she teased.

"Time to put you to work," Mark answered, coming down to meet her on the stairs. "And trust me when I tell you, you want in on this."

He passed her the chart and was not disappointed by her reaction. "He burnt off his…?"

"Yes ma'am," Mark confirmed. "I didn't believe it myself either. We're mostly going in to do damage control, but I still thought it's a bit of an unusual case."

"No kidding," Meredith nodded, eyes still bulging as she read the details of the case. A closed look suddenly came over her face and she glanced up at him. "Mark…could you do me a favour?"

"Tell Shepherd to stop awkwardly staring at you from across a crowded room?" Mark guessed.

"No…what?" Meredith asked, spinning around just in time to catch Derek hastily looking down. She turned back to Mark, a smug look on her face. "Well, that was awkward, but not exactly what I had in mind."

"What do you need?" Mark asked.

"It's Christina," Meredith explained. "Hahn won't let her scrub in on any of her heart surgeries, and it's got Christina going stir crazy. This surgery…well she'd be interested in it. Could you maybe let her scrub in instead?"

"Seriously?" Mark asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded, not looking half as sure as she sounded. "She needs this."

"I thought you needed this," Mark said pointedly.

Meredith chuckled. "I'm fine, Mark. Really. I know last time I went into a bit of a meltdown, but this time around…well, it's all right. Besides, I have a date."

"You have a date?" Mark repeated. "You mean somebody already beat me to the punch?"

Meredith made a face at him before nodding. "Yeah…it's Finn Dandridge. I was seeing him before Derek left Addison. I think we're really going to try and give it another go. He's pretty forgiving, thank goodness."

"Or he's just using his eyes," Mark suggested.

Meredith grinned. "I don't know why any nurse would resist you, Mark," she teased. "You're too damn charming for your own good."

"It's a curse, really," Mark laughed. His eyes caught Christina coming down the stairs immersed in a cardio journal. "Yang!" he barked.

Her eyes lifted and she made her way over. "Can I help you, Sloan?" she asked, putting emphasis on his last name.

He passed her the chart. "You want in?"

She flipped it open, and read the information quickly, her jaw dropping. "He burnt off his penius?" she exclaimed loudly.

Every male within hearing winced, and even Derek came over to investigate. "How do you even _do_ that?" Christina shook her head incredulously.

"I'm not even sure I want to know," Meredith responded. "Some men have some seriously disturbing sex fantasies."

"That sounds like someone who's seen it," Mark teased. "Do tell."

Derek tilted in head in Meredith's direction, a slow grin on his face. "Yes, Meredith. Do tell."

Meredith blushed. "Don't you all have important surgeries to be doing?" she demanded, gathering her charts hastily. "I'm busy discharging, if you don't mind." She walked off quickly, ignoring the laughter from behind her.

----

Still shaking her head over the burned penius and the extremely awkward moment in front of Derek, Meredith made her way to Room 1387 to discharge a recent brain abscess patient. She'd never admit it, but some of her favourite moments at Seattle Grace were discharging people. It was one of the few times they saw healthy and happy people, finally ready to begin their lives again. She quickened her pace, going over the patient's chart.

Suddenly she collided into a woman heading in the opposite direction. "Watch where you're going!" she snapped as her charts tumbled to the ground.

"Oh…oh God, I'm so sorry, Doctor Grey," the woman apologized, kneeling to pick up Meredith's charts.

There was a cold feeling in the gut of her stomach as the woman stood up to hand her the charts. She'd just barrelled head first into Derek's scrub nurse. _This is too ironic, even for me,_ she thought wryly.

"Sorry again, Doctor," Rose apologized, making as though to go on her way.

"Are you seriously going to pretend you don't know who I am?" Meredith asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Bit rude, don't you think? Not even saying hello to the woman whose boyfriend you made out with."

Rose went even redder. "I…I didn't really know you two were dating," she protested.

"Oh, please," Meredith snapped. "Everyone is this god damn hospital knows what happens in my life. Don't pretend you don't listen to nurses' gossip."

"He told me you were on a break," Rose answered, looking at Meredith with a challenge in her eyes.

Meredith was caught off guard, and felt the anger ebb out of her. "Yeah, well…I guess he had a point," she admitted. "We were on…something or other."

"S&M," Rose supplied.

Meredith laughed in spite of herself. "He told you about that, eh?"

"He tells me lots of things," Rose half-bragged.

"I'm sure he does," Meredith nodded. "Well, forget I said anything. It wasn't really your fault."

"I know," Rose stated bluntly.

Meredith laughed, incredulous at the audacity of Derek's new 'life partner'. She turned to walk away, pushing Rose from her mind. "Um…he really still cares about you!" Rose called after her.

Meredith turned around. "I know," she said, matching Rose's bluntness. She paused for a moment, before deciding she couldn't resist the temptation. "Has he…has he shown you any house plans?"

"Yeah, actually," Rose answered, seeming pleased to carry on the conversation. "Last night…he's really excited about it. It looks like its going to be beautiful."

"It was going to be our house," Meredith said, eyes dancing. "But I guess…I just wasn't ready. Thank God housemates are exchangeable." Her cell phone went off in her pocket. She flipped it out, immediately forgetting Rose's presence as she turned around.

"Hello?"

"It's me," came the voice of Finn. "You excited?"

"Maybe," Meredith grinned. "Is that why you called?"

"Maybe," Finn admitted.

"Then, yes," she answered coyly. "Yes, I am excited to go on a date with you, Dr. Dandridge." She walked away from Rose, all thoughts now on the man on the other end of the phone.

---

Rose rolled over in bed to face Derek. His eyes were closed, but his breathing was still erratic enough that she knew he wasn't sleeping quite yet. "Oh…I meant to tell you," she said softly. She'd been waiting for the perfect moment to drop this little bombshell. "I ran into Meredith this afternoon. Literally."

Derek chuckled, but didn't open his eyes. "And how did that go?"

"All right, actually," Rose answered. "She was a little angry at first, but when I reminded her you were on a break-"

"We weren't on a break," Derek argued, opening his eyes to look at Rose. "Not really."

"Well, whatever," she shrugged. "Anyways, when she remembered that, she was almost nice. She even asked about your house plans and everything. She seemed pleased you were going to carry on without her."

Derek made a noncommittal noise in his throat. "I just wanted you to know you don't have to worry about how she's doing anymore," Rose explained, running a finger softly down his bare chest. She paused for a few moments, watching his chest rise and fall evenly. "You've both moved on."

"How has Meredith moved on?" Derek asked, sceptically.

"She's seeing that guy from the bar," Rose replied. "The vet, Finn Dandridge."

Rose snuggled deeper under the covers and closed her eyes. That way she could pretend for a split second after those words, Derek hadn't stopped breathing.

---

**AN:** So just to clear things up, the dream breakup sequence is a bit like the one in episode 4.11, but with a few adjustments to meet my first chapter when Meredith walked in on Derek and Rose making out AFTER she and Derek were back together again.


	4. Pretty Women

**Chapter 4- Pretty Women**

_Blowing out their candles or  
Combing out their hair,  
Even when they leave  
They still are there.  
They're there_

_Ah! Pretty women, at their mirrors,  
In their gardens,  
Letter-writing,  
Flower-picking,  
Weather-watching.  
How they make a man sing!_

_----_

**Disclaimer:** Not mine; never was, never will be. Oh, I should have done this for previous chapters, but the song quote is 'Pretty Women' from Sweeney Todd. Try to find the version with Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman…it's brilliant.

**AN:** This is a chapter full of dates…good dates and horrible dates. I'm a bit terrified to write them, but I'll try to do my best. Oh, also, to **DinuDinuDinu**, I totally picture Finn as Michael Vartan too! I've been in love with him since_ Alias_. So imagine away. : ) That being said- enjoy the chapter!

---

Lexie blindly hurried into the hospital, trying to take deep calm breaths to pull herself back under some semblance of control. She hated him! When the hell was he going to realize his daughter was a grown woman and that life went on even when our loved ones left us?

Her sister, Molly, found dealing with their father easy. Lexie sighed. Anything was easy when you lived in a different town and were concentrating on your new baby, especially when you had your older sister to deal with any serious trouble. Whenever she called Molly, hoping for a bit of sympathy, she always got the answer. '_Lex, really, stop being so selfish. He's our father, and he just lost the love of his life. You could try to show a little bit of compassion.'_ After hearing that for the sixteenth time, Lexie had stopped calling Molly and temporarily moved in with her half-sister. A certain half-sister who was walking towards her right now. She hastily wiped at her eyes and then plastered on a smile.

"Morning, Lexie," Meredith greeted. "Where were you last night? You didn't come home."

"Oh, yeah," Lexie stumbled over her words. "I went and stayed at Dad's for the night."

"Oh, really?" Meredith raised an eyebrow. "Is he hanging in there?"

"He's fine," Lexie answered shortly.

Meredith sighed, giving her sister a look. "I've given someone that answer way too many times to believe you," she chided affectionately. "You know, you can talk to me about it. Technically, he's my father too."

"I never thought I'd hear you say those words," Lexie managed a laugh. "But seriously…everything's fine, Meredith. I just need to find George."

"He's probably in the intern locker room, waiting for me," Meredith answered, looking puzzled. "We've got rounds in about fifteen minutes."

"Oh, okay, thanks!" Lexie called, already on her way. She breathed a huge sigh of relief as soon as she was out of hearing. She'd spent what felt like forever trying to get Meredith to be as sisterly as she'd suddenly become, but today, she wished she'd just go back to the woman who didn't think they were sisters at all.

The locker room was bustling with activity as the shift switch took place. Exhausted interns left, looking forward to bed, while the new shift came in, equally exhausted, but trying to perk up before the residents scooped them up for rounds. Lexie couldn't remember the last time she felt like she was really, truly rested. Putting those thoughts away, she found George's locker, recently moved right next to her own.

George was shrugging into his lab coat and looking for his stethoscope. Lexie grinned and reached into his locker, pulling it out from the mess on the top shelf. "Why don't you just put it on the hook like everyone else?" she asked, handing it to him.

"Life would be…err…less exciting?" George grinned bashfully. "Hey, have you seen Meredith? I don't want to be late."

"Don't worry, I just saw her," Lexie assured him. "She said she'd be here in about fifteen minutes."

"Oh good," George grinned, sitting down on the bench between two rows of lockers. "You might actually have a good day with Christina. Word is she got in on a heart transplant this morning."

"Thank God," Lexie smiled, stuffing her purse into her locker and unbuttoning her top. "If Hahn passed her off for one more surgery, I think one of her interns would suffer death by scalpel."

"It's her favourite weapon," George laughed. He paused, looking thoughtfully away as Lexie took off her jeans in favour of scrub pants. When she was decent, he turned back. "How'd things with your dad go last night?"

Lexie sat down on the bench beside George with a huff of frustration. "Terribly," she admitted. "There was lots of yelling and guilt-tripping. Ending off with a resounding 'I'm your father and I need you here to look after me, you ungrateful bitch.'"

George wrapped an arm around Lexie's waist, giving her a supportive hug. "No go then, eh?"

"No," she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, George."

"Me too," George said sincerely. "Still, I know you would if you could."

"Oh no, no no!" came the rather loud and mocking voice of Christina Yang. "Absolutely no snuggling on the job, Three."

Lexie leapt away from George to stand in front of Christina. "Much better," Christina nodded. "One, Two, Four, move your lazy asses. We've got an influx of mono in the free clinic, and Bailey thinks for some reason my interns would be the best group to deal with it. Move it!"

George stood to face Christina. "I really don't like you sometimes," he joked with her.

"I know, Bambi," she grinned, following her interns. George looked around. Izzie was off giving her interns a pep talk, while Alex snarled at an intern for not being changed into his scrubs yet. He suppressed a surge of bitterness, before trotting off to find Meredith.

It didn't take long. He had just rounded the first corner past the intern locker room before he saw her, in heated debate with Derek. He hurried back around the corner, but couldn't resist staying to listen.

"Derek, I seriously don't have time for this," she said shortly. "I'm supposed to be rounding with my interns."

"I just wanted to hear how your date went," Derek said. His voice sounded light, but there was a strain underneath that George thought sounded a little desperate.

"It hasn't happened yet," Meredith informed him. "It's tomorrow."

"So, Rose was right?" Derek asked incredulously. "We've been broken up for less than a week, and already you've got that sappy vet running after you again?"

Meredith sighed, and George could imagine a flash of anger in her eyes. "You know your source of that information?" she said, with a harsh edge to her voice. "That's why I'm incapable of feeling guilty. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got rounds."

George had no time to hide before Meredith came barrelling around the corner. "Oh, hi," she said, sounding surprised.

"Hey," George smiled. "I was just coming to see where you were."

"Sorry," Meredith winced. "I ran into an asshole on my way here."

"Everything all right?" George questioned.

"I'm fine," Meredith smiled. And for the first time, George sort of believed her.

---

Finn lifted his hand to ring Meredith's doorbell, then had a momentary flash of doubt, and dropped his hand again. He took a few steadying breaths, trying to find his confidence. Before he had quite reclaimed it, however, he heard a few giggles, and glanced to the right to see two faces slip out of view behind the curtain. So much for privacy. Throwing caution to the wind, he rang the door.

Meredith answered it almost immediately. He'd been meaning to make some sort of comment about her nosy roommates, but the sight of her made the words catch in his throat. She done her hair into loose, bouncy curls and had opted for a red halter dressed that cinched at her slender waist before falling to her knees. "Hey," she smiled.

"Hi," he breathed, unashamedly looking her up and down. "You look…amazing."

"You don't look too shabby yourself," Meredith giggled. "Come on in. I've just got to grab my coat. Oh and excuse the room mates."

"Room…?" His eyes fell on Izzie and Christina, who were seated on a bench in the front hallway, studying him. "Hey."

"Hi," Izzie smiled. They'd established a friendly connection shortly after the death of her fiancé, and he was grateful for the friendly face. He only recognized Christina from the prom, and his initial impression was that he'd have to do a lot of proving before she'd approve of anything to do about him.

She looked him up and down openly, before nodding slightly. "Have a good time," she said shortly, then got up and headed to the kitchen. Izzie offered him the thumbs up and then half-skipped after Christina. He shook his head, but before too much marvelling over the strange behaviour could be done, he'd been rejoined by Meredith.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. They left the house and he grinned as she slipped her arm through his.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

"It's still a surprise," he teased.

"Oh, just tell me," Meredith rolled her eyes.

"Ever heard of a place called Maria Pesto's?" Finn asked. It was a quaint Italian restaurant with unbelievable food and beautiful décor that reminded him of his trip to Tuscany.

"I've heard of it, but I've never been," Meredith admitted.

"You'll love it," Finn promised.

----

Derek drove into Rose's driveway and turned off the car. He hesitated for a moment, studying her apartment building. It was a nice, clean place done on the outside with warm stucco. He knew inside everything was decorated very fashionably in the modern sense. He tried to picture his future dream house with the sharp angles and harsh silvers, but found pictures of old Victorian cupboards, blue china and comfy red couches slipping in instead. He growled under his breath and jumped out of the car.

He was surprised to see Rose already waiting for him in the lobby. She looked cute, wearing a silky lavender dress and her hair piled up with delicate pearls at the ears. Very mature and put together. He offered her a smile, and she came out, slipping her arm through his. "Hello, you," she smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey," he grinned, turning to kiss her fully on the lips. He was determined to make this work. Rose was everything he thought he needed, and she was very attentive and attached to him, judging by the glow in her eyes when they parted. "You're very prompt."

"You were a bit late," shrugged Rose. "I don't want to miss our reservations."

"Sorry," Derek apologized, opening the car door for her. When he slid in beside her, he offered his explanation. "The chief parks his trailer on my land, and he wanted to have a chat."

"About what?" Rose inquired, as they pulled out of the driveway.

Derek paused. He definitely couldn't tell her the truth. Richard had been lecturing Derek on the evils of giving up on Meredith. The lie came surprisingly easy. "Just, work stuff. I don't want to bore you. Where are we headed?"

"Have you ever heard of a place called Maria Pesto's?" Rose asked.

"No," Derek answered, a wave of relief. He and Meredith had never been to dinner at this Pesto's place. For one of the first times, he and Rose wouldn't have the ghost of his ex on the date with them.

---

Meredith laughed as Finn bungled the Italian pronunciation of his meal to the waitress. "Oh, and I suppose you know the correct way to say it?" Finn teased as he handed up his menu.

"Yeah, actually," Meredith answered. "I spent a lot of time in Italy."

"Really?" Finn asked, surprised. "Me too…when did a medical student find time to go to Italy?"

"Actually, I took two years off after high school to backpack all over Europe," Meredith revealed. "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, and I thought there might be answers overseas."

"Did you find them?" Finn asked.

"Sort of," Meredith shrugged. "I was standing on the steps of the Vatican when I found out my mother was experiencing early on set Alzheimer's. So that was something."

Finn winced and reached across the table, squeezing her hand sympathetically. "I'm so sorry for your losses, Mer," he sighed, holding her eyes with his own. She felt a sad smile on her face. Somehow, he was one of the few people who made her truly believe that when he said it.

In half an hour they'd covered drowning, the mess that was Meredith's family and her residency. She'd been shocked how easily everything had come out. Somewhere along the line she'd forgotten how easy Finn was to talk to. "Thank you," she said, straying away from the usual 'Oh, I'm fine' standby answer.

He sat back, taking a sip of his wine. "Where else did you go in Europe?"

"Oh, all over," Meredith replied. "I loved Germany though."

"Did you go to Munich?" Finn asked.

"Of course," Meredith grinned. "With all those crazy lions everywhere."

"And the Hofbräuhaus?" Finn carried on, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, I went to the Hofbräuhaus, but I can't say I remember it too well," she admitted.

"That makes two of us," Finn laughed. "I like to think I enjoyed myself though."

Meredith laughed loudly, causing Finn to grin. "I've missed that," he said, his tone a little softer.

"What?" Meredith asked, slightly confused.

"Just your laugh," Finn smiled. "I know it's cheesy…but it's just so great."

"It was cheesy," Meredith confirmed. "But that's okay."

"Not running for the exits?" Finn teased.

"Not yet," Meredith agreed, looking over at the door. Her jaw dropped in disbelief and without realizing what she was doing, she brought the dessert menu up to hide her face.

"What is it?" Finn asked, turning to look at the door. He groaned in a mirroring disbelief. Derek Shepherd had just walked in with a woman Finn recognized from Joe's. "You've got to be kidding me!" Derek made eye contact with Finn, and the immediate look of shock assured Finn the run in was an accidental one. That was some little comfort.

"I do not believe this!" snapped Meredith.

"He's seen us now," Finn observed. "I'm sure they'll go somewhere…" He trailed off as Derek placed a hand on his date's back and followed a waitress to a table four places from their own table.

"That would require not being a massive shit disturber," hissed Meredith. Derek's date was peeking over at their table in a very unsubtle manner between making what looked like harried apologies. Derek, on the other hand, was stoically ignoring Meredith.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Finn asked.

Meredith placed the menu down and sat up straighter. "No, it's all right," she assured him. "We were having an awesome time here and there's no reason to let him change that. I feel like I've been so selfish though. You know all about my mess of a life…what have you been up to? How's the practice going?"

"Everything's generally really excellent," Finn shrugged. "Not much to tell, honestly. I took a trip out to Montana a while back."

"Fishing?" guessed Meredith.

"Right in one," Finn smiled. "Called up some of my old buddies and we went down for a week and rented a cabin. I've still got some trout left over. You should come over and let me make you dinner."

The tentative offer was left hanging in the air as the waitress delivered their meals. Finn's stomach was rumbling and he dug in happily. "I'd really like that," Meredith said, after the waitress added cheese to her pasta.

Finn swallowed a mouthful of linguini and then offered her a grin. "It's a date, then."

"You know, I've never gone fly-fishing before," Meredith confided.

"All that time you were with Derek and he never took you fishing?" Finn asked in disbelief.

Meredith shrugged. "Fishing was what he did when he needed space."

"Well, you can come take space with me any day," Finn grinned.

Meredith flicked a piece of feta at him. "That _was_ ridiculously cheesy," she laughed.

---

"I'm so sorry," Rose said for near on the twentieth time. "We really can go some place else."

"It's all right," Derek sighed, wishing she would just shut up so he could hear the conversation at Meredith's table. "Just…just decide what you want."

"Oh no," Rose said suddenly. "She's coming over…"

Derek's head shot up and he blatantly watched Meredith walk to their table, an uncertain smile on her face. Behind her, Finn was watching with the simple confidence of a man who was sure of his footings and date. "Hi," Meredith said, coming to rest at their table. "I figured I'd do the mature thing and come over and say hi."

"Finn couldn't do the same?" Derek shot out before he could stop himself. Both Rose and Meredith looked at him oddly.

"That was very nice," Rose rushed in to cover the awkwardness. "It's a bit of a strange situation for everybody."

"No kidding," Meredith nodded, glancing worriedly at Derek. "Well, anyways, have a good dinner. We just got our food…its delicious."

"Enjoy your supper," Derek said tightly. Meredith rolled her eyes openly and walked back to Finn, who was already returning her smile.

Derek tried to hide from Rose behind the menu, but she was now blatantly staring at him, he sighed and put it down. "Sorry," he grunted.

"Derek…if you clearly have so many unresolved feelings with Meredith, why did you leave her in the first place?" she demanded, her eyes offering no escape from interrogation.

"I don't have unresolved feelings," he protested. "Just anger and bitterness, unfortunately."

"What the hell did Meredith Grey do to you?" Rose asked, clearly angry.

Derek sighed, looking sadly at Rose. Why was everything with her so hard? Why couldn't they just live in a world where Meredith didn't exist? When Meredith wasn't around, he and Rose had a good time, but as soon as the slender blonde entered his radar, he had to force himself to concentrate on Rose. It really wasn't fair. "I…I don't know," he answered. "I guess it was the fact that she could operate without me."

"I know how that feels," Rose said, suddenly sympathetic. Derek suddenly remembered Rose had gone through the same thing…met someone she wanted to love forever, and found him unwilling to take the necessary steps. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Derek smiled. "Meredith was…she was everything," he admitted. "I've never found someone who I just loved with something that all-consuming. And after Addison and I gave up, Meredith and I had a good thing. But one morning, I found her under the water in her bathtub…" He trailed on, eager to finally get all these feelings on his chest. Perhaps he just needed to let it all out, let Rose in on every element of Meredith and then move on together putting the past behind them. Rose smiled and clutched his hand at all the right places, and he felt for a moment like everything would be all right.

"With Burke and Christina's wedding, she just couldn't concentrate on me," Derek explained. "When I needed her the most, she was obsessed with the idea of getting her best friend down the aisle."

Unwillingly, his eyes drifted over to where Finn and Meredith were preparing to leave. Finn was holding Meredith's jacket for her, and she was laughing at something he'd said. As she slid her arms into the jacket, he spun her around and kissed her lightly on the lips. Derek prepared for the immediate coldness. One thing Meredith disliked was public displays of affection. But it never came. Instead she laughed, and, placing a hand on his chest, kissed him. _Like it was a habit. Like we'd be doing it forever._

Derek jolted and found he'd lost the story. "I know Dr. Yang and Dr. Burke failed to make it down the aisle," Rose was saying. "I can only imagine how that affected Meredith."

Derek stared at her for a moment. Her best friend had lost the love of her life. How stupid his reactions seemed. She was just being as strong a friend to Christina as Christina had been to her. _My person. And frankly she was there when you weren't._ "I…" he found himself unable to continue. "I don't really want to spend all my time with you talking about Meredith. Why don't we talk about something else…anything else really."

"If you're sure," Rose smiled. She was always so supportive. He had to do this right. He could not screw this up.

---

"So, I had an amazing evening," Finn confided in her, walking her up to the door.

"Despite the appearance of my ever-charming ex?" Meredith sighed.

"Perhaps because of," Finn shrugged.

"What does that mean?" Meredith laughed.

"Nothing at all," Finn shrugged. He leaned in and, pulling Meredith close, kissed her deeply. She swayed towards him, deepening the kiss.

When they finally parted, he was glad to see the lust in her eyes. "You are so good at that," she grinned stupidly.

"You're not so bad yourself," he complimented her. "I'll see you Sunday afternoon then?"

"Yes please," Meredith nodded. She watched as he walked back to his car, exchanging one last goofy grin before slipping inside. She was immediately pounced on by Christina and George.

"How'd it go?" they both demanded.

"Amazing," Meredith admitted. "In all the craziness with Derek, I forgot exactly how well Finn and I get along. It was a nice refresher course…even with Derek four tables to our right."

"What?" hissed Christina.

"With Rose," Meredith elaborated.

"That's…that's awkward," George shook his head. "That is definitely awkward."

They moved into the living room, collapsing in front of the television. "You're telling me," Meredith giggled. "Where is everybody? I don't want to have to go through this more than once…and you're all so nosy…"

"Izzie and Alex got called in for some knee surgery Callie got in," Christina answered.

"Where's Lexie, then?" Meredith asked. "If George is off, she should be too."

"She's uh…she's at her dad's, actually," George replied. "I think she's going to be there for a while."

"Why?" Meredith asked, shocked.

"She went to ask him if she and I could get an apartment last night," George admitted. "I gather things went pretty messily. And he told her she had to come back home."

Meredith sighed, sitting further back in the sofa. Images of Lexie swam before her eyes, with her soft brown eyes that had so much to see yet. She was overwhelmed with the need to do something. Some sort of protective beast seemed to be stirring inside of her for the first time. She supposed this was what it meant to be an older sister. "I think I have to pay a visit to my father in the not-so-distant future," she observed ominously.

---


End file.
